Current efforts to make sustainable carbon based fuels and chemical feedstocks is a high priority research area with an urgent necessity due to climate change concerns and depleting petroleum reserves. Upgrading of cellulosic biomass derived C5-6 range feedstocks like furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfual and levulinic acid to bio-fuel feedstocks, biofuels or sustainable monomers is a major thrust area in this effort [1].

Levulinic acid or 2-oxopentanoic acid produced by depolymerization of cellulose to glucose followed by dehydration - rehydration under acid catalysis was used as the renewable feedstock. A low cost catalyst was prepared by pyrolyzing electrode coating material from spent Li-ion laptop battery [2], [3]. The active catalyst was identified as lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (LiNi_xMn_yCo_zO₂) with an empirical composition of the transition elements with catalytic activity in the ratio: Ni : Mn : Co : 2.02 : 1.00 : 0.73

Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (LiNi_xMn_yCo_zO₂) on carbon catalyst is effective in the decarboxylative - dimerization of levulinic acid to a mixture of C6 and C9 fuel precursors. The highest levulinic acid conversion of 94% was observed with 10% (w/w) catalyst loading under 1.24 MPa hydrogen at 140 °C, 15h.

In conclusion we have developed an inexpensive non-noble metal based catalyst system for efficient dimerization of levulinic acid to C6 and C9 compounds through concurrent decarboxylation, with potential applications in producing sustainable fuels or fuel precursors.